Timeline of Events
The Beginning of the End Day 1 - May 15 2010 * A 23 year old unidentified female was admitted to Seton Medical Center on 38th Street in Austin, Texas. She had an unexplained fever and her vitals were dropping rapidly. She was pronounced dead at 7:28 p.m.; her cause of death was cited as the same new strain of flu that the CDC had been working on and promising a vaccine for by the end of the month (H1N1-7). Day 2 * Shocking video went viral of police officers in downtown Austin shooting an unarmed suspect that was later confirmed to be a member of the homeless population a dozen times in the torso. Local news affiliates picked up the story later that same evening. Live reporting captured the reanimation of the same suspect as citizens protested against police brutality; the reporter was one of many sustaining injuries from people who seemed to have turned rabid.* Security around the capitol is tightened. * The Jane Doe, who had been pronounced dead, started moving once more at 10:08 p.m. The infection spread with a bite to the ME down in the morgue. Day 3 * The World Health Organization publishes an "International Disaster Emergency Response" memorandum, instructing health officials on how to dispose of the remains of individuals infected by this strain of the swine flu virus they call H1N1-7. Advice includes the disregard of DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) patients and the removal of patients to a morgue if efforts to restore life are unsuccessful within 60 seconds. If signs of life resume, the remains are to be regarded as a biological hazard. * Calling 9-1-1 results in a busy signal. Cell phone reception is spotty at best if and when calls go through. Austinites are advised to stay within their homes for safety while the city is placed on high alert due to the rampant spread of infection. If they are not safe at home, citizens are encouraged to make their way downtown to one of the emergency shelters that have been erected. * Schools close their doors at noon, sending students home following the lunch bell. * Power in surrounding areas of Austin - and some places inside the city - begins to fail. * A riot ensues following a protest against the previous day’s police brutality witnessed downtown. Looting begins. Day 4 * The Governor of the State of Texas passes an executive order and declares a state of emergency, which details the extent and effects of the outbreak reported to extend across “several states”. The paperwork mentions the contagion known as a strain of the swine flu, otherwise known as H1N1-7, which has brought with it “exacerbated death tolls and an excess of bio-hazardous waste.” The document mentions evacuation programs and reveals that the WHO has declared a public health emergency. * A high-speed car chase on Mopac can be live-streamed from KVUE-Austin News following a robbery. The chase ends with what is assumed to be a fatal crash for the assailant, a caucasian male, who crawls out of the wreckage and ignores warnings to stop where he is and put his hands on his head. Threatened, shots are fired - the man never stops coming at the police until he’s shot in the head. * The Texas Army National Guard is called in from Camp Mabry in an attempt to get the situation under control. * Residents are instructed not to panic, but the power outages and increase in violent crimes cause mass hysteria. Day 5 * Camp Mabry's numbers are bolstered by men sent from Ft. Hood in an effort to set up perimeters around a number of safe zones in the Austin area. Others from Ft. Hood are sent to Houston, Dallas/Ft.Worth, El Paso, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville to set up similar defenses. Day 6 * Southwest Flight 1053 from NYC attempts an emergency landing over FM 969, but overshoots and ends up going down just outside Travis State Jail. One of its wings takes out a portion of the prison’s fence. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport grounds all remaining flights. * Much of the traffic in downtown Austin has been brought to a standstill as roads become impassable due to police cordons, rioting, and the growing number of people attempting to leave the city. I-35 turns into a near-endless traffic jam in either direction; the Loop, 290, 71, and 183 all face similar congestion. Day 7 * Cell towers go down. The entire power grid goes offline. * The Texas National Guard has settled into their occupation, erecting fences and deploying equipment and resources to assist in day-to-day life. A number of safe zones are created within the Austin area. Day 8 * A screening process has begun within the safe zones as civilians are interviewed with regard to their skills, their mental faculties, and their medical health. Persons suspected of being infected - or ill otherwise - are taken for treatment or for detainment. * A curfew is implemented inside the safe zone, and no one is allowed outside the fences. Basic amenities, including limited electricity, are partially restored. *Patrols sift through the outlying areas in attempts to cull the infected. Outside the safe zone, shots are fired first and questions asked later as anyone outside the fences present a threat to those within.